[kat11]

Hey all! I would really appreciate any and all advice!
I have a 2 year old Golden that is my heart and whom I lovingly describe as "that little boy in everyone's 1st grade class with ADHD", and although he cracks me up daily and I do not want to hinder his amazing spirit and personality, I have to work on training him a little more for his safety and my sanity (TrueLife: I'm an over-protective mom!).

I'd really like to find a great leash that offers both control and COMFORT for him as we enjoy long walks, hikes, and the occasional run (which I keep telling myself will happen more often..) He does alright, when he calms down from the initial excitement, but his impulsiveness creates problems, and a lot of harsh pulling, when he sees squirrels, other dogs, other people, or even a leaf blowing down the street..he wants to be everyone and everything's best friend (can anyone relate ) I'd like to reduce the 'yanking' I have to do, and, I suppose, establish my 'dominance' a little more so that he listens to me all the time, ADHD or not...

I'm looking up dog collars and had to turn to you guys, as I have gotten great info on this site many times (THANKS!)
Harness? Which brands are best for comfort and control? Gentle Leader?

Any help would be appreciated, sorry this got long, thanks to all who took the time to read, and respond!

Best,
Katherine

 

[Willow52]

I use a Sporn non-pull harness for Hank. It's worn loose and only tightens when they pull. The straps that go under their front legs are wrapped in lambswool so it doesn't rub. I've been using one with Hank since he was 4 months old. I bought it at PetSmart.

You can google 'Sporn' for more information.

 

[iansgran]

I have used the gentle leader on two Goldens now and I really love it. I think my first Golden was about 2 when we first got it, after slip chains, prongs etc. The Gentle Leader takes some getting used to by the dog because they are not used to having something over their muzzle, HOWEVER, if you follow the instructions in the DVD that come with it you will succeed. I would put in on and feed him treats, or his dinner, but not hook it to the leash for a couple weeks. The thing is a life saver for me because I am old and have bad knees and no way can handle a pulling dog. My Subiaco was close to 100 lbs, so you know he could pull. Jaro, whose photos are below, has always used it so has no problem with it until we get home from a walk when he does rub his nose in his bed to try to get it off.

 

[vcm5]

I use a gentle leader on Riley for the same reason - he is so friendly but he tends to take off in one direction all of a sudden! I like the gentle leader a lot, it makes walks much calmer and easier. I agree with the comment about it taking dogs some time to get used to it - Ry doesn't seem to mind it while we walk, but as soon as we stop he tries to get it off!

 

[LifeOfRiley]

It might take some trial and error to find out which tool is going to work best for your dog.

I used the EasyWalk harness with my GSD and wasn't real crazy about it. I would say that it discouraged pulling, but he could still pull me if he really wanted to. It helped with walking in general (which he was pretty good about anyway) but his prey drive was through the roof so the second he saw a squirrell, rabbit, etc., I was still struggling to control him even with the harness. I couldn't get him to accept a head collar, though. He hated that strap across his nose, so I was stuck with the harness.

I use the Halti with Riley. Same basic concept as the Gentle Leader - I just chose the Halti because I liked the safety strap that hooks up to their regular collar, just in case they would ever slip the Halti (which is pretty unlikely, if you adjust it correctly.) I love the Halti. Riley walks like a perfect gentleman 99% of the time, but he was quite dog aggressive there for a while. So for those times when someone else with a dog decided not to listen to me and would let their dog come way too close to Riley, I had to make absolutely SURE that I could control him and not let him pull me even a foot or two. The Halti does the job very well.

 

[hardygirl]

We've been using the gentle leader for about a year with Roxy. Although she's not huge, only about 65 lbs, I'm the one who walks her for the most part and she is strong! I have a bad back, and my hubby has had several knee surgeries, so we can't run around chasing her. She is quite the social butterfly, and all the kids know her by name and love to pet her, so it has helped train her to walk better, and that she doesn't get any love from the kiddos until she has her bum on the ground and she is calm. She also took awhile to get used to it, and although we offer her treats every time we put it on, occasionally she'll get stubborn and hide in her crate so far in that I have to go in after her lol I would recommend the Gentle Leader, but that's the only thing we've ever needed to use. Hope this helps!

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

I really like the walk your dog with love harness. (www.walkyourdogwithlove.com) If you combine it with a leash that has a double clip or a clip on both ends, you can attach one to collar and one to harness for ultimate safety. I love this one http://www.hoganleather.com/store/products/1________leashes/page/2/55_multi_purpose_leash/ Or these that are made by a friend of mine which are biothane and less expensive: http://www.allthingsbiothane.com/APB.htm

 

[LifeOfRiley]

I really like the walk your dog with love harness. (www.walkyourdogwithlove.com) If you combine it with a leash that has a double clip or a clip on both ends, you can attach one to collar and one to harness for ultimate safety. I love this one Custom Leather Dog Multi Purpose Leash | Hogan Custom Leather Or these that are made by a friend of mine which are biothane and less expensive: ATBB-All Purpose Biothane

I don't mean to hijack this, but...

Do you think that harness offers enough control to prevent lunging?
Riley has become so much less reactive that the vast majority of the time, I don't really need the Halti anymore. I use it "just in case." (I don't want to get too cute and go back to a flat collar just yet.)

Plus, I'm finding out that the Halti has the opposite effect when it comes to strangers. People tend to march right up to us because they want to ask me about the Halti. So many people don't know if it's a collar, a muzzle or what, so they walk right up to ask, when I'd prefer they didn't.
And it's kind of a pain having to hold the leash straight up in the air when he's on the trail of something, doing his best Bloodhound imitation. If I don't, the heavy brass leash clip keeps smacking him on the leg and I don't imagine that feels too good.

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

I don't mean to hijack this, but...

Do you think that harness offers enough control to prevent lunging?
Riley has become so much less reactive that the vast majority of the time, I don't really need the Halti anymore. I use it "just in case." (I don't want to get too cute and go back to a flat collar just yet.)

Plus, I'm finding out that the Halti has the opposite effect when it comes to strangers. People tend to march right up to us because they want to ask me about the Halti. So many people don't know if it's a collar, a muzzle or what, so they walk right up to ask, when I'd prefer they didn't.
And it's kind of a pain having to hold the leash straight up in the air when he's on the trail of something, doing his best Bloodhound imitation. If I don't, the heavy brass leash clip keeps smacking him on the leg and I don't imagine that feels too good.

Probably not, but if you combine it with a leash where you can clip the harness and collar like shown in my post, you have maximum control, also with the bonus that you're doubly secure if they slip the collar or the harness, you've still got them.

 

[kat11]

I really like the walk your dog with love harness. (www.walkyourdogwithlove.com) If you combine it with a leash that has a double clip or a clip on both ends, you can attach one to collar and one to harness for ultimate safety. I love this one Custom Leather Dog Multi Purpose Leash | Hogan Custom Leather Or these that are made by a friend of mine which are biothane and less expensive: ATBB-All Purpose Biothane

Thanks for the sites, he's a pretty good walker except for the "SQUIRREL! DOG!" lunging that he pulls on me, would you sat the harness is the best for that?

 

[kat11]

I use a gentle leader on Riley for the same reason - he is so friendly but he tends to take off in one direction all of a sudden! I like the gentle leader a lot, it makes walks much calmer and easier. I agree with the comment about it taking dogs some time to get used to it - Ry doesn't seem to mind it while we walk, but as soon as we stop he tries to get it off!

I've heard a lot about the Gentle Leader, but am just able to visualize the idea of a harness working for the 'taking off' 'lunging' maneuver that Nash does as well. But you would say the GL is a good leash for that issue?

 

[opera330]

I use the Sporn Harness but waht type of harness was it ?

The one that was mentioned earlier. I like it but it still allow the dog to pull. It does allow me to continue with my training which is my ultimate goal to have Cody walk with a loose leash.

The other day I saw someone with a gentle leader "like" idea but the nose part was soft and like an elastic. I didnt think to ask what it was but she showed how it just slipped off when you didnt want it in use. It seemed easier. Anyone have any idea what it could have been?

 

[Deb_Bayne]

Bayne was pulling really bad on the collar and leash, my trainer suggested the Easy Walk Gentle Leader, the leash clips on the front at the chest. Bayne loves it, he sits when he sees me pick up the harness and actually puts his head through it when I hold it up. He no longer pulls and it's a joy to walk him. The other day I was so proud of him, we encountered a cat walking on it's property, Bayne looked, was excited but when I said 'leave it' he looked away. Then almost immediately after that we encountered two dogs that were behind an invisible fence, Bayne showed interest but as we kept walking he lost interest. I'm loving this new style of walking with him.

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

Thanks for the sites, he's a pretty good walker except for the "SQUIRREL! DOG!" lunging that he pulls on me, would you sat the harness is the best for that?

The Walk Your Dog With Love harness and also the Sensation harness are both front connection harnesses so if they pull hard enough, they end up turning around facing you.. certainly not what they want if they are lunging for a squirrel. And of course you aren't jerking their neck around like a collar would do.

 

[Kalena]

I got great results with the Halti harness on Sawyer and a healed back!! However, my CGC instructor said I could not use it for the test, so I am back using the Martingale.

The cons with the Halti--the adjustments can change over time with wear, so you have to either sew the correct fitting or re-adjust. It only stops the pulling/lunging, when Sawyer wears it--back to bad habits on the Martingale. And there is some hair thinning where the straps fit. It's kinda a nuisance to put on--two clicks.

I decided to go with the Halti after reading comparisons on sitstay.com.

 

[TiffanyPartyOf8]

We used an EasyWalk harness with our GSD and loved it. We used it today with Buddy and he HATED it. Refused to move. Just laid down and wouldn't budge. lol. It really doesn't look comfy. I'd try a Gentle Leader